Crucial progress in understanding Fragile X mental retardation protein
...toplasm of cells, said Huang. Our findings explain why the NXF1 protein level is much lower in the hippocampal neurons involved in learning and memory than in many other cells. This may suggest that a high level of NXF1 might hinder the function of these cells. We are one of the first two labs to show...Uncovering the molecular basis of obesity
...activity between individuals could help explaining why some people are intrinsically more active than oth...e to diet-induced obesity. Bsx might be the key to why the same diet makes one person fat, while leaving another unaffected. The insights gained into the......'s dark energy," Sporns said. As yet, no one knows why these fluctuations occur or what their function mi...he brain's connections. It also could help explain why humans do not think alike. "If fluctuations in brain activity are shaped by anatomy," Sporns said...Human ancestors learned to walk upright in the trees, say experts
...s adapted for walking on two legs. To understand why bipedalism walking on two legs would be necessary for the tree-living ancestors of humans, scientists studied the movement of the only completely arboreal great ape, the Sumatran orang-utan. It appears that they use bipedalism to forage for food f...Cellular message movement captured on video
...ion, but we can also look at diseased cells to see why they sometimes dont move properly or why they dont transmit information properly....Dietary vitamin B6, B12 and folate, may decrease pancreatic cancer risk among lean people
... and 623 cancer-free control cases. No one knows why vitamin pills may not help ward off cancer, or why, in this study, it might have a deleterious effect, Dr. Schernhammer said, but some research in animals suggests that if there is a dormant tumor, folate and other similar vitamins may stimulate grow...When the villain becomes your friend: The strange tale of muscle lactate
...actic acid in muscle are being overturned. So, why do muscles contract" Usually, muscles contract because the central and peripheral nervous system signals them to do so. Why do the muscles make lactic acid" Lactic acid is the result of the glycolytic energy production system. It is an energy source...Swabs not reliable for detecting lead dust in homes
...ls we now know to be dangerous to children. That's why it was important to evaluate the test," Korfmacher...ams per square foot for floors. It is not clear why the swabs are failing to detect hazardous levels of lead in dust. Sometimes, the LeadCheck Swabs tu...Molecular motors may speed nutrient processing
...yska said. "I kept returning to the same question: why would the microvillus have this beautiful structur...s. The investigators are working now to understand why intestinal cells might launch vesicles from their microvilli. They know from ongoing vesicle sorting...Magnetic field uses sound waves to ignite sun's ring of fire
...'s existed since the middle of the last century -- why the sun's chromosphere (and the corona above) is much hotter than the visible surface of the star. "It's getting warmer as you move away from the fire instead of cooler, certainly not what you would expect," said McIntosh. "Scientists have long rea...Understanding why C. difficile causes disease -- it's hungry
Researchers studying the genetics behind why C. difficile causes disease have come to a simple conclusion -- the bacteria do it because they are starving. That just might help them find a new treatment for what can sometimes be a very difficult disease to treat. "The genes responsible for to...Alcohol use during pregnancy leads to greater risk of extreme preterm delivery
...perspective." Although there is less clarity on why the effects of alcohol on prematurity were more pronounced among women aged 30 years and older, Sokol said he and other researchers have seen what appears to be a greater susceptibility to neurobehavioral effects and anatomic congenital anomalies in...How plague-causing bacteria disarm host defense
...roy invading bacteria. "The question now becomes, why is Gaq targeted by YpkA"" ...Analysis reveals extent of DNA repair army
...one of the big unanswered questions about BRCA1 is why it acts to suppress only some forms of cancer: The gene is "common in (all) cells, so why breast cancer and not some other kind of cancer"" Exploring the substrate domains of the ATM and ATR...Nature surrenders flowery secrets to international team
..." Harder says. "We can now say with more certainty why we have all this diversity that surrounds us; its also possible that our approach can be adapted to other fields." A mathematical model that Prusinkiewicz developed has a unique property of producing diverse inflorescence structures with relativel...Some forest birds can survive in agricultural countryside with limited habitat conservation
...e more we realize we don't know," he said. "That's why you need a multi-pronged approach to look at birds' habits from every level."...MIT-led team uncovers malaria mechanism
...hers led by an MIT professor has demonstrated just why that happens. By knocking out the gene for a par...look at whether the RESA protein plays any role in why another strain of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium vivax, is less lethal than P. falciparum. The c...Sleep apnea increases risk of diabetes and hypertension in pregnant women
...we dont know what the long-term effects are. Thats why its important for a pregnant woman with sleep apnea to be treated with CPAP during her pregnancy. It is not yet known whether CPAP treatment can reduce the risk of diabetes and hypertension during pregnancy, he says. In the non-pregnant population, ...Jet lag: It's all about chemical reactions in cells
...success. In humans, the clocks are responsible for why we get sleepy at night and wake in the morning, and they control many major regulatory functions. Disruptions of circadian rhythms can cause jet lag, mental illness and even some forms of cancer. "These clocks are highly conserved in all organisms, a...When lava flows and glaciers recede, predicting how species take over
...nderson's study provides a framework to understand why communities mature at different rates. According to the author, "Understanding how quickly new ecological communities develop is fundamental to numerous ecological questions ranging from, 'How often should fires or clear cuts be allowed on landscapes...